Ep 2: Megan Stroud - Just Get Going: Megan Stroud on Building a Career in Motion

What happens when you answer a LinkedIn message you almost ignored? Or take a phone call in a janitor's alley at a trade conference when you were supposed to be thinking about starting your own company?For Megan Bohac Stroud, those moments changed everything.Megan Stroud is the CMO of SirDavis American Whisky, an award-winning brand founded by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter in partnership with Moët Hennessy. She joined at inception and helped build it from liquid and bottle design through its global launch, named 2025's Best New Product by Spirits Business. Before SirDavis, she held senior roles at Pernod Ricard and Coca-Cola, spent a year in cannabis, and holds an MBA and PR degree from UT Austin. In 2025, Inc. Magazine named her one of their Top 40 Entrepreneurial CMOs of the Year. Her career did not follow a straight line, and that is exactly the point.In this episode, Megan and Kate dig into the pivots, the moments of doubt, the cold calls she almost did not answer, and the philosophy that eventually tied it all together: momentum brings clarity.---WHAT WE COVER01:21 — What a CMO at a brand-new startup actually does, from pop-up activations to five-year inventory forecasts05:47 — What Megan walked into when she joined SirDavis: not a brand, not a bottle. Just an idea.22:53 — The LinkedIn message she almost ignored and the exact moment the universe made it make sense32:24 — A phone call in a janitor's alley and how SirDavis found her before she found it37:56 — Momentum brings clarity: the bike metaphor and why the next step is the only one that matters46:36 — The rope swing: why relationships matter more than being the perfect candidate on paper---QUOTES WORTH WRITING DOWN"A little bit beyond mediocre is noticed. No matter what the position, you can do it with integrity.""Momentum brings clarity. If you go too slow on a bike, you wobble. Get going.""It's not a ladder. At some point somebody's going to throw a rope swing to you. Grab it.""Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you want to become." — James Clear"Don't dim that inner knowing. If you listen to it, options will unfold for you."---RESOURCES AND MENTIONSSirDavis American Whisky — sirdavis.comThe Honeybee cocktail — sirdavis.com/our-cocktails/honey-beeAtomic Habits by James ClearGLG — Gerson Lehrman Group, one of the world's largest expert networks---FOLLOW AND CONNECTFollow Direction Over Perfection wherever you listen to podcasts. To work with Kate one-on-one, visit directionoverperfection.com or email [email protected]. Find SirDavis at sirdavis.com.Direction Over Perfection is hosted by Kate Crane, a private career counselor for young adults and early-career professionals. Kate helps people find clarity, confidence, and their next right step, even when the path is not yet clear.